1. Field of the Invention
Apparatus for conveying coiled elongated flexible materials such as wires, tubes, strips and section members in general which are for example made of metal in successive treatment chambers and method for using such apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For treating a material, such as one of those mentioned above, it has been known for many years to cause the material to advance in a treatment chamber (single or multiple) in the form of helical turns carried by rotating shafts. Driving means ensure the introduction of the material at the inlet to the chamber and other driving means ensure its extraction at the outlet. One of the permanent difficulties existing with this type of treatment method is to ensure the regularity of the turns of the helix in order to avoid a sudden "tangling" ; such an incident would necessitate the complete stoppage of the treatment for a time which may amount to several hours. U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,450 describes a method by which is obtained an excellent regularity of the turns of the helix. It consists in using systematically and efficiently, contacts (which are called "transient" contacts) of the material with the walls of the treatment chamber in causing an alternation of normal running conditions, during which the length of the material increases slowly in the chamber, with adjustment running conditions, during which this length decreases suddenly, thereby taking up the excess in length which has occurred during normal running conditions. The alternation of these running conditions is obtained by an adequate regulation of the peripheral speeds of the supporting shafts, of the speed of the material at the outlet and of its speed at the inlet.
Even although the method of the aforementioned U.S. patent resolves the problem as regards the regular nature of the turns and permits a continuous operation without any risks, it does not always provide a very satisfactory solution to the completely different problem of fitting in an already existing factory (or in an already constructed building) the corresponding treatment installations, this problem being due particularly to the length dimension of several tens of meters, which is required in the case of complex treatments, or of the treatment volumes themselves where wide strips are involved.